One of the methods of fixing a wheel cover to the wheel of a vehicle consists of using sleeves which are embedded in respective collars provided in the wheel cover. The collars are, in turn, coupled in the recesses or cavities of the wheel where the bolts are positioned for fixing that wheel to the hub. Such sleeves usually have tabs ending in a harpoon-shape for their retention on the bolts or on projections provided in the cavities for housing the bolts. Moreover, those sleeves are provided with appropriate means, such as external projections, for retention of the wheel cover, specifically an edge which the collars of said wheel cover have for that purpose.
A retention device is described and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,780, where the fixing of the wheel cover to the wheel of a vehicle is done by means of a kind of cap which is introduced via the collar of the wheel cover and is retained by being screwed to a tubular piece forming part of the wheel of the vehicle. This means that a fixing nut or screw for the tire is required that is threaded, and the screw, which is fixed by being screwed to the wheel itself, axially passes through the tubular piece.
The cap itself has an upper polygonal section, and also an intermediate cylindrical section in which have been provided for screwing of the cap on the piece arranged axially to the screw and forming part of the wheel.
Also, the lower part of said body, in the form of a cap, presents a series of tabs with a protrusion at the end projecting outwards which acts as a stop against the collar of the wheel cover through which passes the fixing screw, and in which is located the retention cap of the actual wheel cover.
The device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,780, includes the feature of having an unthreaded edge, as a consequence of which the tabs provided at the protrusioned end are free at their ends between the protrusion and the threaded zone of the cap, which permits the latter to be unscrewed with respect to the wheel in order to carry out the removal of the wheel cover. The unscrewing of the screw is carried out simultaneously with the unscrewing of the device or cap, since they are coupled in such a way that the polygonal head of the screw and the polygonal upper section of the device, or of the cap, which is the same thing, remain locked together in the direction of rotation.
Mention can likewise be made of Spanish invention patent P-200300899 referring to a wheel cover for the wheels of a vehicle, in which the wheel cover presents collars with elastic tabs which permit retention on the associated screws screwed to the wheel hub for the fixing of the wheel. Also, introduced into the collars of the wheel cover and coupled there are some sleeves which act as means of centering and of covering of the grooves established between the elastic tabs of the collars of the wheel cover.
More specifically, this Spanish invention patent is characterised by the fact of incorporating a piece in the form of a sleeve which fits tightly under pressure into each of the tubular projections or collars of the wheel cover, and is fixed to them by locking of some projections provided in the lateral surface of the additional piece or sleeve, in recesses made in the internal part of the respective tubular projection or collar. This additional piece or sleeve has an edge associated with its external opening which supports and acts as a stop against a stagger made for the purpose in the tubular projection or collar, the additional piece or sleeve also having associated with the edge of its internal opening some elastic tabs, the internal part of which defines some means of adjustment and centering for a projection provided in the associated fixing bolt, said bolt or nut being the one used normally by the vehicle manufacturer. The elastic tabs of the additional piece or sleeve externally define a means of positioning and retention for an elastic metallic compression ring, both for the flexible tabs associated with the tubular projections or collars of the wheel cover and for the actual elastic tabs of the additional piece or sleeve.